Hills! Hills! Hills!

I always new that hill running was an important part of my training as a runner but I never fully knew the great number of benefits running hills can have on making you faster and stronger.

According to Runners World Magazine,“hills are good for you and they’re good for your running. Training on hills improves leg-muscle strength, quickens your stride, expands stride length, develops your cardiovascular system, enhances your running economy and can even protect your leg muscles against soreness.” (to read more about this click HERE).

My coach loves to add in hill work outs to my training which even though they are hard it is something that I actually love to do. There is nothing like a great hill workout to get your heart rate up and to make you sweat. When I am finished a good hill workout I always feel so exhausted but fantastic.

Last week I ran my first official hill workout since I did my time in the BOOT. The planned workout was a 15 minute dynamic warm up with striders followed by 6×1:00 on the hill with 3 minutes in between for rest and recovery (1:00 of walking and 2 minutes of easy running). After torturing myself repeatedly on the hills the reward was a nice gentle cool down. When I started the workout my legs felt strong but as I reached the 4th repeat I began to feel tightness in my hip flexors and my groin. Even though I have been running my body is screaming at me a little bit and telling me that I am running too fast. I guess it is still going to take a little while to dust off the cobwebs from not running earlier this summer. Thankfully I was able to push through it and finish the workout with a solid effort and was happy to welcome the cool down and a post run smoothie when I was finished.

I am hoping that running hills on a regular basis during my training for the 50K in October will help me to build more muscle strength and to help me to regain some speed. Running hills also provides excellent mental training for moments during a race when you feel like you are hitting a wall. I always think about my harder workouts (which definitely include running hills) to help motivate me through a tough point in a race.

Do you like to do hill repeats? What is your most challenging workout. Please share!

Also please check out my great giveaway from Advil #RELIEFinACTION

I have been invited by the Advil Relief in Action campaign to run a cool giveaway for you my readers on Organic Runner Mom. Advil Relief in Action supports active volunteers that don’t let pain stop them from helping others! While there’s no doubt that completing a 10-12 mile obstacle course leads to muscle aches and pains that Advil® can help relieve, Advil’s partnership with Tough Mudder goes much deeper. Both Advil® and Tough Mudder are supporters of Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP), and this commitment to a cause that assists injured service members and veterans of our armed forces- the ultimate volunteers- is what the Advil® Relief in Action program embodies.

To see how others embody the Relief in Action spirit and to share your volunteer story: